Aaron `saddened' by Bonds, Clemens steroid stories

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2010 -

NEW YORK (AP) -Hank Aaron's verdict on baseball's steroid scandal: ``Saddened.''

Aaron, long reluctant to weigh in too strongly on the stories involving steroids and baseball, said Tuesday he'll keep sticking with that tact in the cases of Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, both accused of lying about using steroids and facing trial next spring

``I'm just saddened by it,'' said Aaron, who held the all-time home run record until Bonds broke it in 2007. ``I'm not a judge and I'm not a juror and I don't know who's guilty and who's what. I'm just saddened for baseball and saddened for Clemens and Bonds, both.''

Aaron said he hasn't given any thought to whether Bonds' or Clemens' numbers should stand, be wiped away or accompanied by asterisk.

``I have too much to worry about to worry about Clemens and Bonds,'' he said.

Last month, Clemens was indicted for lying to Congress and has a trial scheduled for April. Bonds' faces a perjury trial in March.

More important to Aaron than the news on steroids is the state of baseball in America, where blacks have slowly been seeping out of the sport. Last season, the number of black players in the major leagues was 9 percent, a slight improvement from a low of 8.2 percent in 2007.

Aaron sees the limited number of college scholarships as blocking development.

``Football has such a lucrative scholarship that when parents talk to their kids about going to school, they talk about one thing, and that's playing football,'' Aaron said. ``You had kids like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, who could've been excellent baseball players, but they had to go to school on football scholarships and play two sports. In the long run, it's not going to work, especially for baseball.''

(Sanders also ran track at Florida State.)

Aaron, attending the U.S. Open to receive the U.S. Tennis Association's ``Breaking the Barriers'' honor, said he never played much tennis as a kid, but always appreciated people who could hit the ball hard - and keep it in the park. He met Arthur Ashe, long considered one of sports' great ambassadors, on a few occasions and always appreciated the way he handled himself in an era where blacks faced more harassment on and off the court and field.

``I admired him, what he stood for, the way he went about his business,'' Aaron said. ``He was a fine example of what I always wanted to be in my life, to carry myself the same way he did.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwclassifieds2000 Baseball Betting News

<< Cardinals shoot for needed series win in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took a lot longer than expected, but Milwaukee reliever Trevor Hoffman finally picked up his 600th career save. The St. Louis Cardinals would have preferred that he waited a few more days. The Cardinals will try to rebo

<< Bruins host Cardinal in Pac-10 opener
Pasadena, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Stanford Cardinal kicks off its Pac-10 Conference slate against UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Stanford vaulted into the national rankings following a convincing 52-17 victory over Sacramen

<< Traditional national powers collide in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the premier matchups on the 2010 college football docket takes place in Tuscaloosa this weekend, as the top- ranked and defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide square off against the 18th-ranked

<< Spartans face another uphill battle in bout with Badgers
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Spartans continue their early- season trek through some of the most treacherous waters imaginable as a week after taking on the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, they head north to bat

<< Grief-stricken Cowboys face tall task in clash with Longhorns
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In a game overshadowed by tragedy, the grieving Wyoming Cowboys take on the fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference affair. On Monday, 19-year-old Wyoming freshman linebacker Ruben Narcisse was killed

Vikings-Saints: Great way to get going >>
Maybe this time Brett Favre won't get picked off with victory in his grasp.In as juicy a season opener as the NFL could provide, Favre marches the Minnesota Vikings into New Orleans on Thursday night for a reprise of January's NFC championship game.

No. 21 Tigers, Bulldogs feature potent offenses >>
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -In one of the ugliest games in recent college football history, Auburn and Mississippi State punted, fumbled and stumbled their way to a 3-2 finish in 2008 that made both schools cringe.Auburn won - on the scoreboard.But real

Dolphins sign Clifton Smith >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins have signed former Pro Bowl return specialist Clifton Smith, who spent the previous two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smith has played 20 games in his NFL career and was Pro Bo

CFL Previews - September 10-12 - Week Eleven >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CALGARY STAMPEDERS (8-1) AT EDMONTON ESKIMOS (2-7) DATE & TIME: Friday, September 10, 9:00 p.m. (et). GAME NOTES: Friday night brings out the best and the worst in the Canadian Football League as

Serbia knocks Spain out of Worlds >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milos Teodosic drilled a long three- pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining to lift Serbia to a 92-89 victory over Spain in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Spain trailed throu

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.